1. Why does my dog get so excited whenever I say the word 'walk'?

Researchers say Chaser used a process called "fast-mapping," or inference, which is pretty similar to how human children learn language skills. Basically, it involves guessing the meaning of a word based on the object that is being used in conjunction with that word. So if you're constantly saying "walk" and then fetching your dog's leash and taking him outside, he may be able to infer that the word "walk" has something to do with the action of going for a walk.

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2. Why does my dog yawn everytime I do?

Just like people, dogs can "catch" yawns. A study in the journal Biology Letters says this "emotional contagion" is completely normal. More importantly, the researchers write, your dog catching your yawn is a sign of basic empathy.

3. Why do dogs turn away from us when we try to hug them?

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A psychologist who studies canine behavior found a disturbing trend in 250 photos of people hugging dogs— the dogs were not happy. How do we know? According to animal behavior researcher Julie Hecht, there are three common signs of stress in dogs: 1) Turning their heads away from the thing that's bothering them; 2) Showing the whites of their eyes; and 3) Lowering or pinning back their ears. Most of the dogs in these photos were showing these signs.

Still, some dogs might tolerate a hug, especially if it comes from someone familiar. In other words, dogs have myriad ways of showing affection, but hugs may not be one of them. If your pup tends to shrug away from your embrace, try patting her head or scratching her tummy instead, advises Hecht.

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4. Why is my dog having a staring contest with me?

How long your dog looks at you might reveal a surprising amount about how he understands emotions.

Scientists measuring the amount of time horses spend looking at something have suggested that long looks can indicate what researchers call an "expectancy violation," or what Julie Hecht refers to as the "What what?" double-take.

5. Why won't my dog stop smelling my friends?

Flickr/Matthew Kenwrick

Like other animals, dogs get tons of information about their environment based on what they smell. Beyond that, however, some studies suggest that dogs actually enjoy the smell of their familiar humans like their owners. One recent study, for example, found that when dogs were exposed to the scent of a familiar person, their brains may have interpreted that scent as a reward.

For the study, researchers put dogs into a brain scanner and exposed them to five different smells: themselves, a familiar human, a strange human, a familiar dog, and a strange dog.

7. Why do dogs love snow?

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Remember when you were a kid and couldn't wait to jump in piles of fresh, just-fallen snow? Well, when it comes to the powdery white stuff, "dogs might be a lot like us," writes Hecht.

Gordon Burghardt, a professor of psychology at the University of Tennessee who wrote the book, "The Genesis of Animal Play: Testing the Limits," put it this way to Hecht: "Many animals from temperate areas seem to really enjoy frolicking in the snow. I think it relates to the sensory qualities of snow...when watching dogs in snow we are not too far off in comparing their activity to that which we experienced as young children ourselves."